Yair Golan Demands Public Apology from Sara Netanyahu Over Defamation Claims

Yair Golan, chairman of the Democratic Party and former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff, has demanded a public apology from Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, within 24 hours, threatening a defamation lawsuit. The demand stems from comments Netanyahu made in an interview with Channel 14, where she suggested Golan was aware of the October 7th Hamas attack early that morning, implying he was "dressed and ready" while others, including the Prime Minister, were not yet aware of the unfolding war. Netanyahu stated, "Who is the Prime Minister when one needs to know that a war is starting?"

Golan vehemently denied the accusation, stating he received initial reports of the attack around 6:30 AM with the start of air raid sirens. He put on his military uniform and left for the south around 8:00 AM, first heading to the Home Front Command and then the area of the Nova music festival. He spent most of the day evacuating survivors. He has offered to donate any compensation from a potential lawsuit to victims of the Nova festival attack, threatening a suit for at least 2.5 million shekels if no apology is issued.

Sara Netanyahu refused to apologize, claiming she did not mention Golan by name but was referring to those who did not wake her husband in time. She threatened a countersuit. Prime Minister Netanyahu commented that October 7th was a failure, not a betrayal.

Independent accounts and footage support Golan's timeline. Civilian rescuer Oz Davidian stated he met Golan around 11:30 AM, not earlier, and clarified a widely circulated photo, explaining the car belonged to him and the people nearby were survivors they were rescuing. Golan himself described making three trips to evacuate six festival attendees, a claim corroborated by his correspondence with journalist Nir Gontarz, who provided him with information about people hiding. The core of the dispute lies in the interpretation of Golan's swift response to the attack; while his rapid deployment to the south is documented, the claim of prior knowledge of the attack remains unsubstantiated by public evidence.